Sir, – This summer marks the third anniversary of the abolition of the Combat Poverty Agency. That decision by the then government deprived the country of an independent body to monitor the extent of poverty and to promote policies that would benefit those at the very bottom of the ladder.
The recent annual report from Focus Ireland showed that a total of 5,000 homeless at any one time and a record total of nearly 100,000 households on social housing waiting lists. Worryingly, one in seven using homeless services is a child, so clearly as a society we are still failing the most vulnerable in society.
Unemployment is perhaps the most obvious manifestation of recession and it brings not only financial hardship, but also psychological stress and loss of dignity. In times like these, unemployment can no longer be thought of as a blip in a person’s life: as unemployment remains persistently high, it becomes more difficult for a person to re-enter the job market.
The impact of the current economic crisis on children is particularly acute.
A new document published by the ESRI, Understanding Childhood Deprivation in Ireland, found that – in 2010 – eight per cent of children were in consistent poverty and some 30 per cent of children were in households experiencing deprivation. As these statistics are almost two years old, the situation is likely to have deteriorated further since then.
The human impact of these raw statistics are reflected in the findings of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey, which found that one in five children had reported going to bed hungry in 2010, because there was not enough food at home.
Even in the face of an unprecedented economic crisis, where the Government is facing very difficult choices, this situation is simply intolerable. This is particularly so when the wealthiest members of society, many of whom share responsibility for the unsustainable boom, are being shielded from the worst effects of the austerity measures. Recent cuts in service and new charges have impacted detrimentally on poor and vulnerable people.
If we do not move swiftly to ease the impact of cuts and recession on the country’s poorest families and to make those who are better placed to do so pay their share of the burden, we are in danger of storing up social unrest and disaffection. As a first measure, it is imperative that the Government tells us what it is doing – and what it intends doing – to protect the vulnerable and poor against austerity measures. It’s also critical that that the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion published in 2007, is implemented fully and that the Combat Poverty Agency is re-established. – Yours, etc,